Breast Cancer: 732 Real Stories
732 stories match breast cancer. 559 of them mention surgery.
Stage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Chelsey’s Patient Story
Chelsey Pickthorn is a patient advocate living with Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer. Her advocacy focuses less on a treatment timeline and more on the parts of cancer care that are often overlooked: sexuality, relationships, identity, and the need for…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer Patient Story
The patient was breastfeeding her daughter in 2016 when she noticed a lump in her right breast. She was reassured at first that she was too young for breast cancer and that it might be related to breastfeeding. After diagnosis, further testing changed the…
Read this storyStage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Karen’s Patient Story
Karen was 49, athletic, and newly running an American Ninja Warrior gym when her family first entered an oncology clinic in March 2020. Her only obvious symptom had been persistently swollen lymph nodes, and abnormal blood counts had been present for almost 2…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Dani’s Survivor Story
Dani Trops’ breast cancer story is centered on survivorship, relationships, and rebuilding confidence after diagnosis. As a young survivor, advocate, and content creator, Dani has spoken openly about what life after breast cancer can feel like when questions…
Read this storyStage III Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Stacy’s Survivor Story
Stacy had received regular mammograms since age 40 and was repeatedly told the results were clear. Dense breast tissue was noted, and automated whole-breast ultrasound was recommended only once. During a 2023 examination, her gynecologist felt that one breast…
Read this storyHER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Janella’s Survivor Story
Janella Bustamante was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer in June 2021. Her cancer was described as fueled by estrogen, progesterone and the HER2 protein. She returned to Lima, Peru, for the first part of treatment and spent the following months…
Read this storyStage IV HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: Paul’s Patient Story
Paul Forgette was 68 when arthritis-related preoperative blood work unexpectedly revealed low-grade prostate cancer that only needed observation. Soon after, he bumped his chest and felt a lump. A mammogram first suggested male breast cancer, and further PET…
Read this storyStage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Nicole’s Patient Story
Nicole was 42 and working as a fine jewelry designer when a sharp seatbelt-like pain across her chest led her to feel a new breast change. Because she had dense, fibrous breast tissue and a history of cysts, a cyst seemed possible, but her gynecologist was…
Read this storyStage IV Invasive Ductal Carcinoma: Dalitso’s Patient Story
Dalitso was 38 when invasive ductal breast cancer was first found in 2020. She had noticed a hardening breast mass years earlier, along with weight loss, fatigue, and back pain that had been attributed to other health issues. A mammogram first suggested Stage…
Read this storyStage IV BRCA2 Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Marissa’s Patient Story
Marissa was 31 and raising young children when fatigue, nighttime hot flashes, restless legs, and a lump in her right breast led to testing. On February 17, 2024, biopsy confirmed Stage II invasive lobular carcinoma in the right breast, with positive lymph…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Josephine’s Survivor Story
Josephine faced 2 cancer diagnoses before age 40. In 2015, at age 28, she was diagnosed with melanoma. Two years later, breast cancer disrupted the life she and her partner were building around marriage, family plans, and ordinary young-adult freedom. Breast…
Read this storyStage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Deltra’s Patient Story
Deltra is a mother of 5 living with triple-negative metastatic breast cancer. Her advocacy centers on a part of cancer care that many patients experience but do not always feel comfortable raising: sexual health, intimacy, and the way metastatic disease can…
Read this storyStage I Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Tammy’s Survivor Story
Tammy McDevitt had years of normal mammograms, even though repeated letters warned that dense breast tissue could make cancer harder to detect. In September 2024, her annual screening mammogram at Cleveland Clinic found a subtle abnormality. Follow-up…
Read this storyStage II HR-Positive Breast Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story
Jennifer Njathi’s breast cancer was found after her delayed 40th-birthday mammogram led to extra imaging in early 2023. At first, she thought the callback was routine for a first mammogram. When the repeat screening focused on one breast and the lymph nodes…
Read this storyStage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story
Jennifer Rancik was 31 when chest pain she thought was a pulled muscle led to a Stage II triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis. Her doctor initially dismissed her request for mammography, but she insisted. Three days after biopsy, she was told to gather her…
Read this storyStage II Breast Cancer: Basma’s Patient Story
Basma, a 44-year-old mother of 2, learned she had breast cancer after a mammogram showed concerning changes and a biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Her name was changed for privacy. She had no family history of breast cancer, and the news affected not only her…
Read this storyStage IV Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: Nikoo’s Patient Story
Nikoo was 42 in 2003 when a normal mammogram missed the cancer her doctor felt during a breast exam. A biopsy confirmed invasive lobular breast cancer, a type that can be difficult to see on standard imaging. The tumor was small, about 0.9 cm, and she was…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Theresa’s Survivor Story
Theresa first faced cancer in 2008, when a painful spot on her lip was biopsied and diagnosed as lip cancer. It was treated with Mohs surgery. Five years later, in 2013, she noticed her left breast looked larger and felt painful. Instead of a typical lump…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Dana’s Patient Story
Dana, 52, lives in Vancouver. She first noticed a painless bump under her arm while doing sit-ups, along with smaller lumps under her chin. She thought it might be an ingrown hair or something minor, but her doctor urged her to get checked immediately. Scan…
Read this storyBreast Cancer: Karin’s Patient Story
Karin was first diagnosed with breast cancer on December 4, 2014, after mentioning a swollen breast gland during a visit for a persistent cough. Everything moved quickly. She initially hoped the tumor could simply be removed, but treatment also included…
Read this storyStage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Melissa’s Patient Story
Melissa Fouts was diagnosed with Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer in 2019 after previously being treated for triple-negative breast cancer twice before: Stage I in 2004 and Stage II in 2016. At the Stage IV diagnosis, she believed time was short and…
Read this storyStage I Breast Cancer: Angela’s Patient Story
Angela George was 42 when family history led her to take a closer look at her cancer risk. Her father had recently been diagnosed with colon cancer, and several relatives had also had cancer, including her mother and grandmother with breast cancer. In July…
Read this storyInvasive Ductal Carcinoma: Meghan’s Patient Story
Meghan McLyman learned she had ductal carcinoma in situ after her first annual mammogram, shortly after turning 41. A lifelong professional dancer and mother, she was surprised by the diagnosis because health and wellbeing had always been central to her life…
Read this storyStage IV Breast Cancer: Maria’s Patient Story
Maria first went through chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and targeted/endocrine therapy for breast cancer. Surgery showed more lymph-node involvement than expected on PET imaging, and up to 20 lymph nodes were removed. Pathology later showed more cancer in…
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